By Henk Key, contributing editor, GIM International

As in last year's printed edition of the Product Survey, the equipment published here is the absolute top-of-the-class among these instruments. Let's call it the Champions' League, which means that besides meeting the criteria for accuracy they also have to be motorised. The complete Product Survey is to be found on our website www.GIM-International.com, along with an easy-to-use tool for comparing instruments of your choice.

I have not noticed any spectacular technical improvements in these instruments over last year's offering; perhaps R&D budgets are coming under pressure from the world financial crisis? In contrast to the paucity of technical improvements, however, instrument design is getting more and more eye-catching: bright colours, sometimes even two-tone splendour. If you compare this to the moss-green colour of the former Wild and Kern instruments, it is a true revolution!

The use of touch-screens is still very limited. While applications like cellular phones cameras and navigation systems have embraced the touch-screen to a more or less standard degree, surveyors seem to dislike them. Could this be down to wintry weather conditions and the use of gloves? Speaking of wintry weather, Geomax has let us in on its special ‘Polar edition', which can operate in temperatures down to -30°C. The news feature that appeared in our June 2010 issue covered working in extreme weather conditions, temperatures far exceeding -30°C; this instrument will need an extra blanket when operating there.

I would like to invite you to send me your comments on specific instruments. Positive or negative, all feedback could be useful to a colleague faced with a decision about buying instruments.

E-mail: henk.key@geomares.nl

Categories
1. TSs designed for ‘classic triangulation & trilateration' over distances exceeding 250m. The prime requirement is a relative high angular accuracy (better than about 1mgon, or 3").
2. TSs designed for detailed surveying and staking out. Accuracy between 1 (3") and 3 (10") mgon. Distance accuracy is supposed to be better than 1 cm at 250m. Reflectorless and traditional total-stations.
3. TS-s as in category 1 or 2, but in a one-man's version, i.e. (robotic) TS-s that enable ‘automatic target detection & tracking'.
4. TSs comparable to those in category 1, 2 or 3, but including a reflectorless measurement option.